SFA charge John Gemmell over McCoist Twitter rant

ALASDAIR LAWRIE

STENHOUSEMUIR striker John Gemmell has been hit with a Scottish Football Association charge over his Twitter rant at Rangers manager Ally McCoist.

The SFA announced that Gemmell had been accused of breaching its rules by “making comments of an offensive nature on Twitter in relation to Rangers FC and Alistair McCoist”.

Gemmell hit out at McCoist on the social media network after the Rangers manager criticised the decision to rearrange his side’s League 1 away game against Stenhousemuir to the Sunday of a week in which they had also played at Dunfermline and Airdrie.

Gemmell’s Twitter account, which was later closed, read: “McCoist is a *****, game against Stenny should be midweek?... Why, so we are ****** after working all day whilst your boys can lie and get a massage for three days before checking their £5k a week wages are in? Away and ****off #Embarrassing.

“Can’t wait to get a massage after training today and a nice healthy meal after too ... Actually I’m working 2-6, probably with a pot noodle.”

McCoist hugged Gemmell after his side’s 2-0 win at Ochilview on 5 January and later laughed off the comments.

“I get called worse in the house to be honest with you,” McCoist said. “It was probably a bit ill-judged but I’m certainly not going to throw the toys out of the pram.

“He said to me: ‘You know what I meant, didn’t you?’ To which I replied: ‘Not really!’ But it doesn’t matter. We are all big boys and we just get on with it.”

Gemmell, who said he was a Rangers season ticket holder, will face an SFA panel on 13 February.

Meanwhile, Rangers have turned down East Stirling’s request to keep Ibrox youngster Calum Gallagher at the club for a second month on loan. The impressive 19-year-old has scored two goals, including a last-minute equaliser against Albion Rovers last Saturday, in four games for Shire, but he will now return to Rangers.